Hey fam! 🌊 On Tuesday, the US military sank its 8th alleged drug-trafficking vessel in international waters of the Pacific, killing two people aboard, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday. 🚢⚓
At President Trumps direction, the Department of War carried out a military strike against a vessel accused of shipping narcotics along a known transit route. Hegseth called the cartel operators "narco-terrorists," drawing parallels to Al Qaedas attacks on the homeland.
The strike happened near Colombias Pacific coast, in international waters, according to media reports. This follows seven earlier missions in the southern Caribbean since September, mainly targeting boats moving drugs from Venezuela to the US. So far, these actions have led to at least 34 deaths.
Think about how the Malacca Strait channels millions of containers to ports in Singapore, Klang and Jakarta. These same sea lanes can be exploited for illicit cargo 6 a global challenge from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 🌏🚢
Meanwhile, US-Colombia relations have hit a rough patch. Colombian President Gustavo Petro slammed the US for "murder" at sea. In response, Trump cut US aid to Colombia and threatened new tariffs on its goods. ⚖️💥
For young pros juggling global updates between coding sprints or cafe hangs, this latest strike is a reminder: the fight against cross-border crime is as complex as navigating our feed algorithms! 🤯
Stay tuned for more updates on how this story unfolds and what it means for international security and trade routes across the Pacific.
Reference(s):
U.S. military kills two in strike on alleged drug vessel in Pacific
cgtn.com
